


"Cause I love you."

by FeralCreed



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, M/M, Meeting the Family, Tony meets his boyfriend's sister, senior citizen Becca
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 03:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8148350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreed/pseuds/FeralCreed
Summary: Tony finds out that Bucky's sister Rebecca is still alive, and Bucky takes him to meet her.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daydreamerdisease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamerdisease/gifts).



“Sergeant, your presence is requested in the lab by Sir,” Jarvis announces.

 

Bucky pauses where he's standing in front of the mirror. He tilts his head slightly, hands stilling on the half-done tie around his neck. “Did he say why?”

 

“No, sir. I believe he simply wishes to show you improvements upon some tech.”

 

“He's just looking for company, huh?” Bucky asks, smiling a little. “Sure, tell him I'll be there in a minute.” It takes him a bit to finish with the tie, since he's never been too good at them. Once he is, he grabs his suit jacket off the back of a chair, putting it on as he left the room. The elevator ride to the lab doesn't take long.

 

River, Tony's cat, is sprawled across the couch nearest the elevator doors. Bucky stops to pet her and fuss over her but leaves her much more quickly than normal. “Hey, I've only got a minute,” he greets Tony. The genius makes a vague humming noise as Bucky kisses the top of his head. It takes him a couple minutes to finish what he was working on, but once he does, he removes the headset he was wearing and glances up at Bucky.

 

“Oh. Hello,” he murmurs when he realises what Bucky's wearing. “Wait, we didn't have a thing, did we? I'm getting better at remembering those, I'm pretty sure, but I could've sworn we didn't have a thing.”

 

“No, we didn't,” Bucky reassures him. “I've got something else.”

 

“Is it a thing? A fun thing? What about a gift thing?''

 

“Kind of fun, kind of not. Not really a gift thing although I bring them sometimes.”

 

“You've got me curious now,” Tony confesses, pushing his lab stool back from the table.

 

“My sister, Becca. She's ninety-four, lives in a senior care facility that's not too far from here by jet. I visit her a couple of times a month. Dress up for it and all that. Most of the time she even remembers me on her own.”

 

Tony reaches out to take his hand. “Is there anything I can do for her? She doesn't need any financial help, does she? Her kids?”

 

“Her kids have grandkids by now,” Bucky points out, smiling a little. “And her husband left her enough to cover her living costs for another few years. I'll pick it up after that.”

 

“I'm glad you got to meet her after all the Winter Soldier stuff. You must've missed her. She doing okay?”

 

“For the longest time, I was too afraid to see if any of my family was still alive. I was scared that Hydra would have found some way to make me kill them. When I finally looked, I found out that my parents both died naturally, and Becca's still healthy even if she has memory problems. But I did miss her until I finally went to see her. She knew a little bit about what had happened with the Winter Soldier, just enough that she understood why I'd stayed away. And she said she forgave me for everything even though I didn't need to be forgiven. That I was still her big brother.”

 

“That's great,” Tony says softly.

 

“Yeah. And she really is doing well. Sometimes she drifts a little, or thinks she's back in the forties. But most of the time she's great. We, uh, we play chess every other visit.” He laughs a little at that. “Becca can still beat me sometimes. Got old, but she's still smart. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I just-”

 

Tony shushes him, standing up to give him a hug. “She's your sister, Buck. Your ninety-four-year-old little sister, granted, but still. I don't blame you for wanting to wait a while before you told me. You didn't find out about my cat for months. Having a sister is kind of a way bigger thing.”

 

“Kinda, yeah. I meant to tell you, I swear. Just didn't know the right way or the right time.”

 

“It's fine. You've done a lot more for me than any of my other partners. Besides Pepper, of course. She was an only child, though, so I never met her sister. Hey, I'm just glad you told me instead of making something up, y'know?” Tony gives him a quick kiss and sits back down, hands moving to pick up a couple spare parts on his desk and playing with them. Now that he's sitting down, he isn't looking at Bucky any more, but he's always found conversations easier when they didn't include eye contact, and Bucky's used to it.

 

“Come with me,” Bucky suggests, the words out of his mouth before he truly thinks about it.

 

“Me?” Tony asks, surprised.

 

“Of course. I'm not asking River.”

 

“Um, okay, wow, sure. This isn't, like, something that you think you need to do or something? Cause you know you don't have to invite me if you don't want to. I'm not really going to get insulted or anything like that. Honestly I act more dramatic than I really am-”

 

Bucky places a finger on Tony's lips, cutting him off. “Yes, I'm sure. I want you to come with me to meet my sister. As long as you want to come.”

 

“Sure, if you're okay with that.”

 

“I'm more than okay with it. I'll wait on the landing pad on the roof, okay?”

 

“Yeah, of course. Jarvis, put what I was working on on a tablet, get that ready to take with me. And you know where I left my wallet, right? Okay, awesome, and I will go find something to wear.” Tony stands up, straightening a few things on his workbench, and grabs the tablet before wandering off toward the elevator. Bucky lets him take it, visiting with River and the bots for a few minutes before asking Jarvis to take him to the roof.

 

Tony shows up not long after that. He's dressed in a light grey suit, with a brown leather messenger bag over one shoulder. Bucky holds his hand out, fingers twining with his boyfriend's as they walk up the ramp of the quinjet. Jarvis takes control of takeoff, which is smooth as ever. Neither of them say much during the flight, but Bucky gets noticeably nervous once Jarvis announces he'll be setting the craft down soon.

 

Once they're on the ground, Bucky moves toward the building like he's familiar with the grounds. The lawns and gardens are well-kept despite their size, and there are a dozen patients out and about with their nurses. A few of them are clustered around a pond with a fountain, tossing little pieces of bread to the ducks and fish. Bucky glances at them all but doesn't find his sister, and leads the way inside. The girl at the desk greets him as James, and he knows her by name as well. She says Rebecca is in the library, which makes him smile, and he thanks her before leading Tony through the hallways.

 

He finds the library in no time and motions for Tony to go in ahead of him. There's a lady sitting in a chair near the window, a book about birds open in her lap. Rather than reading, she's glancing out the window with a pleased little smile, attention caught by the bird feeder outside. From where she sits, she has a perfect view of it, and Bucky's smile widens.

 

“Becca?” he asks. The woman turns to look at them, curiosity turning to recognition and prompting a smile of her own.

 

“Bucky,” she replies happily, closing the book in her lap. She holds her hand out and he crosses the room to take it, kissing the back of her hand. “Who's your friend, here?”

 

“This is Tony,” Bucky tells her.

 

“Your Tony, the one I've heard so much about?”

 

At her words, Bucky blushes a little and Tony beams. “Well, I'm sure you've heard nothing but the worst,” the billionaire says. He tucks his sunglasses into the pocket of his suit, apparently starting to be at ease despite the unfamiliarity of the situation. “I promise I'm not as horrible as your brother probably made me seem.”

 

“He's only told me the best things about you,” Becca says. “And my Bucky ain't no fool. You're a good man for him?”

 

“I'd never say so, but he seems to think I am. Can't say I have the heart to prove him otherwise.” Tony smiles at Bucky's eye roll, and squeezes his boyfriend's hand when his own is taken. “He might be real pretty but I can't always say that he's being smart. And I heard he's been getting beaten at chess lately.”

 

“Well, he's right there,” Becca agrees. “Bucky never really learned how to play chess. I tried to teach him but he never seemed to understand.”

 

“Maybe I have something that could help.” Tony opens his bag, pulling out a book that looks like it's seen better days. “ _Common Sense in Chess_ by Emanuel Lasker, first edition. I have a few good books in my library that don't get used like they should. When Buck mentioned that you played, I thought you might enjoy it.”

 

“Bucky, I approve of your boyfriend,” Becca says, nodding her head definitively as she takes the offering. “And from the eyes you're giving him, I can tell you do too.”

 

Tony glances over at him and sees that Bucky is indeed 'giving him eyes'. He looks like Tony's gift is the best thing he's seen in years. And that's honestly a good thing, because Tony had been seriously worrying that he'd overstepped or something until now. Jarvis had suggested the book when he'd asked for last-minute gift ideas while getting dressed. It wasn't like he'd be using it himself, and he honestly had no idea how to indicate affection without money or objects changing hands. Bucky's sister had been important enough to him that Tony had wanted to make a good impression, and apparently he's done that.

 

“Sit down, you two,” Becca says, waving her hand at a few chairs set up near her own. Tony does so like a normal person, but Bucky flops down like it's his own living room. He's still holding onto his boyfriend's hand, a looser grip now that indicates he's comfortable rather than his nervousness. Becca seems pleased to see it. “What's been going on with you?” she asks. “You missed your last visit. Everything all right?”

 

“Yeah, Becks, everything was fine,” Bucky reassures her. “We had a mission and I got a little banged up. Had to spend the night in medbay. I'm all right, I promise. Tony keeps a pretty close eye on me in the field.”

 

“Well, I try, but you keep going into danger,” Tony reminds him. “You're as reckless as Steve ever was, and you complain about that a lot more.”

 

“Because he never learns.”

 

“Neither do you.”

 

“That's true, isn't it, Bucky?” Becca asks. “You and Steve always got along for that very reason. Both of you could never learn.”

 

“Yeah, that's true,” Bucky admits. “Tony's pretty patient with me, though.”

 

“Someone's gotta be. Besides, you're too pretty to let you go around getting yourself hurt.”

 

Becca laughs at Bucky's blush. “Aw, Buck, you got yourself a charmer. It's about time. Tell me about yourself, Tony. All I know is about the Iron Man and the arc reactor.”

 

“I'm about the last person Bucky should like,” Tony confesses right off the bat. “Because of the reactor, I get sick every time I get cold and I've got a ton of respiratory issues. The Battle of New York still gives me nightmares. Whenever I get invested in my work, I forget to eat and sleep. And I know I get clingy and jealous way more than I should. He keeps me out of not only a bottle but a string of meaningless relationships. I've literally got nothing to endear me to anyone but he pretends he likes me for some reason. Every time I tell him I'm nothing, he tells me I'm everything.”

 

“Cause I love you,” Bucky answers, and as usual he manages to say it like it's the simplest thing in the world. He's still holding Tony's hand, and he gives it a gentle squeeze to let him know he's still there.

 

“The two of you are adorable,” Becca tells them. She doesn't seem to mind Tony's outpour of self-deprecation in the least. “How did you two get together?”

 

“My arm needed maintenance and I didn't trust anyone else to take a look at it,” Bucky says, sparing Tony from talking. “At first I didn't really trust him either, but he was an Avenger and a friend of Steve's. Eventually we started talking, getting to know each other a little. I started coming down to the lab even when I didn't need to. One night I went down there and Tony had had a nightmare. He needed someone to be with him and that someone ended up being me. Since then, we talked more, spent more time together. Then one night I kissed him. Neither one of us expected it. But it was the best thing I ever did.”

 

“He hasn't left me since,” Tony puts in. “Even though I've tried to get him to.”

 

“No reason for me to do that,” Bucky tells him. “You two and Steve are all I need.”

 

“Sap,” Tony grumbles, but he's smiling. Becca asks him about his work and the conversation moves on from there, flowing through a variety of topics. She and Tony get along really well, so much that Bucky teases he'll be abandoned next time he comes to visit. They talk for several hours before one of the staff members comes to tell them that visiting hours are ending. Goodbyes are said and they both hug her before Bucky leads the way through the gardens to the Quinjet.

 

“Thank you so much for coming with me,” Bucky says quietly. “It means a lot.”

 

“You're welcome,” Tony answers. “Will you tell me if I can ever help you with her?”

 

“Of course,” the supersoldier answers. “I'm glad you two got to meet. Becca was always such a spitfire. A lot like you. No wonder you guys got along.”

 

“She was great,” Tony tells him. “I'm so happy you still had family alive. Losing all of them would have been...”

 

“Horrible. And thinking that they were all gone, it was. I was scared to look for them at first, but once I realised I could talk to my sister again, it was amazing. She yelled at me for taking so long, actually. But we were both so happy to see each other. Meeting her for the first time was great. Everything I could have asked for. And it's only gotten better since then.”

 

“Well, if you let me meet her, it's gotta be good.” Tony squeezes his hand and smiles at him. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” Bucky stops and tugs on Tony's hand, pulling him around so he can kiss him. “And I meant everything I said. You are so much to me.”

 

“So are you. Let's go back home.” Tony leads him into the Quinjet, strapping into the pilot's seat to take them into the air. Bucky took the co-pilot seat, not bothering to unbuckle once they were in the air. He doesn't speak, but he reaches for his boyfriend's hand and holds it the entire way home.

 

When they get there, they disembark and go to the penthouse, eventually ending up tangled together on the couch. They put on a movie, choosing _Mulan_ since it's one they both love. By the time they're done with the dinner ordered from the private chefs available to the team, they're half asleep and trading lazy kisses on the couch. It's quiet in the suite as they change and settle into bed, until a soft voice breaks the comfortable silence between them.

 

“You awake?”

  
“Yeah.”

 

“Marry me?”

  
  
“Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> When I found out it was canon that Becca had lived into the twenty-first century, I had to write a meeting between her and Bucky. Hopefully I did everyone justice.


End file.
